BRUSSELS — European Union leaders agreed Friday to a significantly reduced seven-year budget worth $1.28 trillion — the first cut in spending in the 27-country group’s history.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy announced that the agreement had been reached after two days of nearly round-the-clock negotiations — the longest negotiations of his tenure in office.

The issue of what to give to the EU was made more difficult because, he said, its members were struggling with poor economic growth and harsh austerity measures.

“We simply could not ignore the extremely difficult economic realities across Europe,” Van Rompuy told reporters. “It had to be a leaner budget.”

He said it would amount to 1 percent of the EU’s gross national income.

The final number was far less than the $1.38 trillion that the EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, had originally proposed. The $1.28 trillion total will cover the years 2014-20; the budget for 2007-13 was $1.31 trillion.

The two-day fight over the cap on what the EU can spend on such items as infrastructure and development aid laid bare divisions over what the role of the union should be.

“The effort was worth it,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “The agreement is good and important,” she added, saying it would show solidarity and ensure predictability.

The first solar eclipse to cross the continental United States in nearly a century comes at an especially inopportune time for many employers. From 10:15 a.m. Pacific until just before 3 p.m. Eastern time — some of the busiest hours of the workweek — the moon’s shadow will hit land in Newport, Ore. and leave the continent near Charleston, S.C.